Fiore
by LostSparrow
Summary: A look at the youngest Corleone child and her less than the conventional relationship with her favorite member of the family, albeit the fact he is an adoptee. Their relationship exists despite the confusion of their family, but on rare occasions, they steal moments together, from times during the flourish of the summer wedding, to a quiet October night. (O.C)
1. Chapter 1

Rosa held her breath as her mother fastened her pink dress, so tightly that she feels like her lungs are collapsing. The small brunette hops back and forth on her feet, while her mama clicks her tongue.

"Ah, mama! It's too tight!" she moans and throws her head back. She hears her aging mother snap at her angrily. Lucy has walked over to her, and all Rosa can think of is how she looks like cotton candy. Lucy smiles and walks around her, with the heinous matching hat Connie is making them wear. Lucy pins the hat on to her elaborate hairstyle. The pins hurt and Rosa frowns before moaning again.

"Stai zitto, figlia. No complaining on your sister's wedding day." Her mother responds with a flick on her shoulder. The girl nods and silences her mouth as her mother finishes the zipper, and at last Rosa is finished. Now all the bridesmaids are done and Connie is nervously fluttering around and squealing about finally being married. Rosa is not a fan of Carlo, but her opinion doesn't matter. And Connie seems happy and that is important. Mama is finishing placing the veil on her daughter's head, and Connie is smoothing out the rumples in her elaborate lace gown. The rest of her bridesmaids are smiling and arranging their bouquets and gowns, as they will need to go to the church in an hour. Rosa sneaks over to the door and quietly excuses herself, intent on going outside and getting some fresh air. She knows her sister will scream for her when they need to leave, so she has time to be by herself.

She hikes up the silk dress to her thighs, before running down the stairs. There are a few florists and maids going around and making sure the house is perfect for the guests. She makes her way outside to the area the reception is being held. The flowers and heat of the summer is beautiful, and she breathes in deeply. The smell of wine, flowers, and summer makes her feel safe. She is half hoping she may see someone in particular, but where is he? As if he knew what she was thinking, quiet footsteps appear and she grins, but does not turn around to meet him right away.

"Don't you have to a wedding to attend soon?" he asks, chuckling softly after he does. She finally glances at him, feeling content at the sight of the tall blond man. He is looking at her with a small smile, and his hands are tucked into his pockets.

Physically, he is so different from anyone she knows. Tall and blond, with soft blue eyes and a stoic nature. Rosa is the youngest child in the family, and was an unexpected surprise for her mama and papa. They were ready to stop after Connie, but then Rosa appeared. The baby of the family, that's what she is.

Moments of privacy between the two of them are rare and far between, for obvious reasons. Tom is her family's consigliere and their adoptive sibling. Sonny had brought him home off the street, demanding that he be welcomed in to their home and he was, and was a member of the family ever since. Rosa had grown up with Tom, who acted as a big brother as much as Sonny, Freddie, or Mike. But she always knew he was different. There was never an intimate romance between them, Tom wouldn't dare do that. He knew Rosa had just latched on to him, but she'll let him go eventually.

Rosa huffs and paws at the tight pink corset, her eyes squinting shut at the clear discomfort. Tom steps forwards and gingerly takes her hands off, knowing Connie would lose her mind if there is anything wrong with any of her bridesmaid's dresses.

"It's too tight." She mutters and looks up at him with her wide doe eyes and he smiles, before letting her hands down.

"You look lovely, Rosie. Now get back before mama notices." He encourages and ushers her back to the door. Rosa nods and begins walking, but then hesitates. She shuffles, turns around and presses a quick kiss to the side of his cheek. He doesn't have time to react before she runs off to the door, and he watches the girl in the pink gown disappear past the flowers.

He remembers the time she had snuck into the back garden, where he was sitting by the small pond. It had been a long and exhausting day trying to deal with Sonny, and he was enjoying the quietness of the water and the pale moonlight illuminating the flowers. It's almost 2am and he relishes being alone, or so he thought. He hears her before he sees her, and he shakes his head.

"It's too late for you to be awake, little girl." He says wearily. She giggles before walking over and sitting on the ornate garden table. He opens his eyes and sees her sitting in only a silk robe, and a flimsy camisole. He immediately looks away, knowing he shouldn't be looking at her in such a form. "Rosa, you know better, someone could see you. Go to bed now." He murmurs, his eyes still looking away. He knows she is pouting but agrees before jumping off the table and leaving him alone in the garden again.

O0o

Later on during the wedding reception, Rosa is feeling lightheaded and dizzy. She is sitting at the table with the rest of the bridesmaids, watching the commotion in front of her as it spins. It is a blur of white, pink, and bright yellow and she feels like she can't catch her breath. She hears the sound of Sonny talking loudly behind her, and she glances to see the fuzzy image of Sonny and Tom standing behind her.

"Rosie- are you okay?" Lucy asks her as she leans forwards and presses a hand to the girl's forehead. Rosa forces a smile and nods and tries to focus on the shape of her mama who is standing a few feet in front of her. Maybe getting up and walking to her will be a good idea, help clear her head. She pushes herself up quickly, but she soon realizes the sudden movement was a horrible idea. In one swift movement she stumbles and slumps to the ground. She hears people yell and begin to swarm around her, but she can't focus on any of them and is trying desperately to catch her breath but to no avail.

"Eh, eh, eh, all of you move!" Someone snaps and she recognizes Sonny, who is no doubt trying to plow his way through the crowd to reach his little sister. Another pair of hands reach her first and she is quickly lifted into the air. Her blurred vision focuses for a moment and sees Tom, with Sonny jumping around asking what is wrong with her.

"Calm down, Santino." Tom murmurs as he carries the girl inside. The shade of their large home is a welcome relief from the heat of the outdoors, and Tom is quick to bring her to a couch.

"What's wrong with you, Rosie?" Sonny asks as he pushes Tom away from his sister, but he doesn't go too far and only inches a few centimeters to the left, still holding on to her hand. The room is spinning and she shakes her head before managing to mumble something.

"S'too tight," she gasps out. She hears her mother come running in and squeals at the sight. Tom reaches over quickly and rolls her on her side, before angrily ripping the zipper down. The sudden release of the tight corset allows her to have a sudden intake of breath. She breathes deeply before dropping back and smiles weakly.

"Told you it was too tight, mama." She stammered and then laughs ever so slightly. Her mama rolls her eyes before kissing her on the forehead and disappears to get a glass of water.

"Leave it to you to steal all of the attention on Connie's wedding day," Sonny jokes before standing up and straightening his suit. Before she could answer, screams erupt from the crowd outside and all three of them look at the window to see their famous cousin, Johnny, make an entrance. Rosa smiles and looks back at Sonny.

"I didn't steal any attention, but he certainly did." she points out. Sonny rolls his eyes, like Mama, before walking outside to join the crowd. Tom is still sitting beside her, a hand resting protectively on her shoulder.

"You can leave too, I know my father has things for you to do." She insists before weakly pushing him away. Tom looks at her, and nods, before giving her shoulder a final squeeze and standing up.

"Rest inside for a while, and take that dress off before you go back outside. I may not be there to catch you if you pass out again," He remarks. She nods and shuts her eyes, breathing in deeply a few times. "I will come check on you soon." He adds quietly before walking away. She smiles, eyes still shut, and lays on the comfortable couch, happy to have a quiet moment in the craziness of the wedding, and happy to know he'll be coming back to her soon.


	2. Chapter 2

Rosa sits in her little flower bed, the dirt crowded up around her knees and thighs. She has dirt smeared on her cheek, and her gloved hands are mercilessly pulling away at the weeds that were choking out her tulips. Her birthday is in three days, and she will be turning nineteen. She and Connie are so close in age, only a two year difference between them, but Connie has already moved out with Carlo and is married. Rosa can hardy fathom that her once playmate is now gone away. She squints her eyes and grunts, as she takes hold of a particularity large weed that seems to be fighting against her.

Sonny is watching her, rolling his eyes as he leans against the brick wall. Tom walks out, a cigarette in one hand and rubbing his temple with the other. Taking care of the family business is exhausting sometimes. Sonny holds his arms out and pulls Tom to a stop, and he didn't even notice that Sonny was there.

"What does the girl want for her birthday?" Sonny grumbles as he fishes a cigarette out of his pocket, and Tom holds out his lighter to ignite the cigarette, as his eyes drift towards Rosa. "Jewelry? Clothes? I don't know." Sonny adds and takes a long drag.

Tom shakes his head as he lights his cigarette, his eyes still trained on the girl. "Get her something to do with gardening." Tom instructs quietly, but Sonny snorts and gives Tom a playful shove.

"No way. She is always in the dirt, go out today and get something custom made for her. Do it quick, yeah? Her birthday is in three days, also get the cake. Make sure it has the berries!" Sonny snaps and walks away, flicking his cigarette away while he does so. He has to go talk to his father and not worry about his baby sister. Tom stands, still smoking, and shaking his head. He'll do what Sonny asks, but he knows Rosie won't like it. She'll be appreciative and thankful, but her real passion is for making things grow and prosper.

* * *

The day of her birthday rolls around, and the spoiled girl is presented with tons of presents- from her custom made pink silk skirt suit from Sonny, to the diamond pendant from mama and papa. She is grinning and thanking people immensely for the lavish gifts, before mama sends her upstairs to change into the skirt suit for cake and the party they had planned for the family and friends. She runs upstairs and Tom takes that moment to retrieve his little package from his office. He quietly slips out of the busy room and makes his way upstairs, careful to be unseen by the other members of the family- which isn't hard to do as they're all eagerly discussing the cake.

He walks to her room, knocking softly three times. He hears a scuffle and then the door swings open, and she appears in the doorway, smiling instantly when she sees him. She is dressed in the suit, but her wild hair has come undone from her bun and it now tumbles down her shoulders in messy waves. He grins and holds up the messily wrapped gift and she nearly squeals as she grabs it.

"I thought you had forgotten," she whispers, grinning. Tom shakes his head and smiles as she eagerly unwraps the present, and when she discovers the collection of new gardening tools, she almost jumps five feet in the air.

"Thank you!" she squeals and throws her arms around his neck, and he hugs her close, breathing in her scent of rose perfume and red wine. His arm goes to her lower back and he holds the girl against him as she presses her face into his shoulder.

"Now go plant things as beautiful as you. Happy birthday," he whispers before he lets her go and he disappears back down the stairs, while she is left standing in her bedroom door, holding the gardening tools close to her chest, smiling broadly. She is thankful for all of her family… But especially him.


	3. Chapter 3

Rosa bolts up in her bed, her tired eyes unable to focus and she blindly reaches for her lamp, nearly knocking it off as she does so. It is late, almost 2am and she has been awoken by a drunken Sonny who had come tumbling up the stairs and screaming for more wine. She hears several other sets of quick footsteps and the voices of Fredo, Tom, and Clemenza. Her eyebrows come together as she hears his voice, because he is rarely ever here this late. But then the shouting starts.

"You need to grow up, Santino! You have a job to do to this family and you still act like a child!" Clemenza roars, now doubt challenging Sonny on his alcoholism which has become fairly severe in the past few months. The man that the children have grown up with is usually such a comforting voice but now it is angry. Rosa frowns because she knows if her papa hears his friend yell at his firstborn son, her papa would be furious. She hears Clemenza begin to yell again and she forces herself off the bed and runs to the door, and throws it open, nearly hitting Sonny as she does so. The drunk man swears and stumbles over, his face red and full of anger.

"Stop it, please!" She cries and looks at her brothers and uncle with anger. "Our family, and your children, are trying to rest. This isn't the time to yell." She chokes out as angry tears spring to her eyes. She hates when her brother does this, and he has been doing it often, Tom, Fredo, and uncle Clemenza stare at her with surprised eyes at her boldness. Sonny growls and points a shaky finger at her.

"Don't you tell me what to do, kid. Go back to bed." He snaps and begins making his way down the hallway, no doubt looking for the bottle of scotch Tom had hidden for special occasions. Rosa goes to yell at her brother, but Tom shoves past Fredo and Clemenza and clutches her arm, shaking his head to stop her.

"Go get him and keep him quiet," he instructs to Fredo. Clemenza rolls his eyes and grumbles before making his way back downstairs, no doubt finally going to his own home. Fredo quickly runs after his older brother, and Tom is left standing with Rosa who is still glaring after Sonny. His blue eyes run up and down her face, while he reaches up and gently brushes a piece of her long hair out of her chocolate brown eyes.

"I hate when he does this," she sighs and nuzzles her face into Tom's chest. The tall blond freezes and his breath hitches at her touch, but he relaxes and puts his hand on her back, pulling her closer.

"You should go to bed," he mumbles as his lips graze over her forehead. She smiles, but then grabs his hand, pulling him into opening of the doorframe with her. His eyebrows shoot up in surprise and he quickly tries to pull his hand out of her grasp but she pouts. "What are you doing?!" He rasps out. She still is gripping his hand, and she runs her thumb over his palm, making it open. She then places it on her hips, and he breathes out, looking at her with wide eye. She smiles at him, and takes a step backwards.

"You know what I'm doing. Just come in, for one second." She asks him, her voice so soft it's barely a whisper. Tom knows he should say no, but fuck, he never can say no to Rosa, it's like she has a spell on him.

He takes a step in, and the door slides shut. She takes his hand and slides them under her pyjama shirt, before taking a step closer. She goes on to her tip toes, and her lips are only inches away from his. He is breathing hard now, and her smile only widens.

"Rosie…" he breathes out, but she puts a finger to his lips.

"Come with me," she whispers and, still hand in hand, she skips to her bed and lays in the blue silken sheets, pulling the right side back so he can lay in it too. He goes to protest, but she speaks first. "Just come in, for one second."

He has never been good at saying no to Rosa, in fact he has never been able to do it. She has a spell over him. So, he shrugs off his suit jacket and kicks off his shoes, climbing into the bed and she immediately draws her body closer to him, wrapping her arms around his torso. He does the same and hugs the small woman close, breathing in her familiar scent and feeling her warmth, which is a welcome relief on this cold, late October night. His thumb runs up and down her arm, and she smiles.

"Why can't you just stay with me?" She mumbles sleepily, her eyes fluttering shut. Tom reaches over and shuts off her lamp, leaving moonlight as the only light in the elaborate room. Tom smiles at the sight of her bedroom, the expensive rugs and velvet drapes have specs of dirt from the multiple plants she has placed in pots littering the windowsills, floors, and dresser. Books and papers from her drawings lay strewn across the floor, no doubt from the countless hours she spends lying on the floor with a pencil in hand. She is a gifted artist and he has no doubt one day she may run off to Paris and attempt to make her way as a painter, selling her works in different markets and sidewalks. She would be happy living her life in the busy cities, and she would leave her family, and him, behind. Certainly not forever, she loves her family too much for that, but she would run away for a few years before returning with some pretentious philosophical French man who smokes too much and has dark bags under his eyes and speaks of Kantian ethics. That could be her life, and while he would always support her, Tom can't lie and say that the thought of her with any other man makes his chest hurt. But those thoughts and those feelings he will bury away forever, and he will just watch her as she grows, laughs, and makes beautiful things sprout from her fingertips.

"Tom?" She whispers as her eyes open, but he can see how exhausted the girl looks. Her sleepy eyes search his face, and then she drops her head and brushes his nose against his. "Do you love me?" She asks him.

He doesn't hesitate at all before answering. "Yes, I do."

She smiles, her face still pressed against his. "You should stay with me forever," she says quietly, giggling before letting his lips graze over his. He freezes and she drops back to his side, once again cuddling into his side, and she's asleep within moments. He kisses her forehead, squeeing his eyes shut. Being around Rosa helps him to forget about his hectic life, but he can't stay with her forever. He slips his arms out from around her, but looks down at the illuminated girl once more before he leaves.

"I wish I could…" he whispers, then collects his shoes and jacket and quietly slips out of the door and back to reality.


	4. Chapter 4

It was almost Christmas time, and Rosa was almost buzzing with excitement. Before Tom left the house to pick up a sled for his son, she was bouncing around him on the tips of her toes. He almost rolls his eyes as she dances around with a bushel of holly in her hands.

"Calm down, girl." Tom chuckles as gathers up his coat and hat, watching the giddy girl continue to skip around the room. She grins before going over and tucking a piece of holly into his suit pocket, and has a matching piece pinned to her blouse. She smiles and pecks him on the cheek before her wide grin returns.

"Are you going to get me something for Christmas?" She quips as she returns to the vase which will hold her bundle of holly and white roses, which she is gifting to her mama. Tom chuckles again before grabbing the bouncing girl and hugging her tightly, and she grins before returning the tight embrace.

"I'll get you something you like, I promise." He murmurs into her dark hair and she smirks before pressing her chin against his shoulder and staring at him.

"There is only one thing I want," she whispers. He cocks an eyebrow and waits for her to elaborate, but she just smiles. "You'll just have to guess." She says before kissing his cheek and spinning out of his grip, and then out of the room. And that is just what she does, twirl into his life and leave him wanting to grasp on to her, but knowing she will always slip away with a smile and a twirl, and he will just have to wait until he sees her next. He is guessing that will only be the next day and he looks forward to it.

* * *

But he had no idea how wrong he could be. His life had been turned around in an instant when he got the news that his beloved papa had been shot. He felt his heart stop when Virgil Sollozzo told him, and tears sprung to his eyes.

"Yeah we got him outside of his office, just about an hour after we picked you up. That little girl of his got in the way but we took care of it. Kids, eh? Here, drink it," The greasy man says as he pushes a flask of alcohol into his hands. He then proceeds to tell Tom that it is up to him to convince Sonny and the other two kids to side with Sollozo, who is being supported by the Tattaglia family. Tom knows well the violence could lead to a full scale war between the families. Tom has a lot of work to do and a lot of decision to makes, so he shoves the ache out of his chest and knows he must focus on protecting the family members that are left.

* * *

He nearly cried when he got the news that both papa and Rosa were alive. Papa was in critical condition, but they're all praying for him to pull through. Rosa was never supposed to be there, but she liked visiting the fruit salesmen and joined her papa in the car without him evening noticing. He doted on her so much and was happy to let her join, but if only he had known what events would take place only ten minutes later. She was not severely hurt at all, like Sollozo thought. She had been hit in her forearm and grazed over her leg, but certainly nothing close to life threatening.

She was stitched up and mama was eager to get the girl home and away from the public. The assassination attempt had taken a toll on everyone, but mama in particular. She no longer trusted anyone who was not family and collapsed back in on herself and wanted everyone home and for everyone to stay there.

Tom had not been able to visit papa or Rosa in the hospital because he had been so busy keeping Sonny on a leash and trying to keep a handle on this situation, but it has been so hard. When he eventually leaves the makeshift conference room, he is exhausted and weary eyed.

He gently pushes open the door to her bedroom and the sight makes his heart drop. He walks over to the bed, where Rosa is lying, tears in her eyes as she quivers from the pain. A thick bandage is around her arm but is visible under her thin nightgown. She looks up at the door and holds a hand out for him, and he crosses the room and kneels down, taking it and holding it tightly.

"Make it stop hurting…" she murmurs and tears roll down her cheeks as he tightens her hand. He bites his lip as he reaches up with his other hand and rubs his thumb over her forehead, and she squeezes her eyes shut. He can feel how warm her skin is, and the thin sheen of sweat covering her.

"Oh, Rosie. I'm sorry." He mumbles and presses a kiss to her cheek. He can tell she is weary and tired, obviously, but she still manages to force her famous smirk and chuckle ever so lightly. She doesn't smell like herself either, no hints of summer roses or wine, just blood and medicine and bandages.

"You missed," she sighs and he raises his eyebrows in response.

"Missed?"

"Yes. You missed with your lips," she mutters and turns her face closer to him. He gulps as he realizes what the weary girl means, but if he could make her feel better in anyway he will. He leans forward and gently brushes his lips against hers before angling his lips against hers. The kiss was small, gentle and very meaningful, but then it grew more intense. She tasted tentatively with her tongue as she traced it across the bottom of his lip, and her good hand slipped up to go through his soft blond hair. However, when she moves the wrong way, a wave of pain makes her scream. Tom jumps and reaches around so he can gently push the girl back on to her bed and keep her there.

"I liked that. Let's do it again sometime," she says through gritted teeth. He shakes his head and kisses her forehead before standing up, pulling the cotton blanket over Rosie's body. She looks up at him, frowning. "You're leaving me?" She whispers as he reaches for his suit jacket which he left in a heap on the floor.

"I have to get back to work. I'll come back to check on you later, your mama will be in soon. Let me know if you need anything, Rosie," He says as he gives her a final kiss on the forehead. "Rest now. Nothing will happen to you here." He assures and she smiles, closing her eyes and nodding, feeling safe for the first time since the assassination.


	5. Chapter 5

She sits on the window seat, letting her feet dangle over and ghost over the floor. Her arm is still bandaged, but it's been several weeks since the attack. Her papa is moved home and they are both healing slowly. She sighs and leans back, gazing at the early morning haze that she loves so much. She can see the frost blanketing her beautiful garden which she is eager to go walking in because her mama has sanctioned for her to only stay in her room whilst she heals. But, it is 5 am, and she knows her mama is finally having a rest so she stands up, wincing as she reaches for her silken bathrobe and pulls it over her nightgown, leaving her hurt arm under the robe before she sinches it in her at her waist.

She pushes open her heavy oak door before sneaking out onto the soft carpet and creeping down the stairs, trying her best to not make a noise. She should have guessed her attempts would be fruitless though, as she hears a tsk sound from over the railing. She stops mid-step and looks up, grimacing as she sees Tom standing there, arms on the rail and shaking his head at her.

"Rosie, you know better." he sighs as he rubs his eyes, looking clearly weary and exhausted. She smirks before skipping down the stairs, ignoring the pain shooting through her body. "Follow me if you are so concerned," she whistles out as she makes her way into the garden, feeling the cold snow seep into her slippers. She savors the feeling of the coolness on her warm skin and she takes a deep breath, letting the cold air fill her lungs. When she opens her eyes she can see the puff of air swirling into the night. She hears his soft footsteps behind her and she smirks but does not turn around to look at him.

"I knew you'd follow me," she murmurs as her eyes flit across the now dawning sky. She waits for him to come up behind her and hug her, but he remains still in his spot. She raises an eyebrow and turns around, looking at him quizzically.

He shakes his head and presses his hands deeper into his pockets- he must have been up the entire night working and had not bothered to change his clothes. He looks at her with those same tired eyes and weary expression, but still makes no effort to move closer to her. He just chews on his bottom lip before looking at her, up and down, as if he is taking in the sight of her.

"This has to end, Rosie. You and me… All of it. It is not right and you know that. You have so much life to live and I will not get in the way of any of it. We have to stop this… We will just be in the family, and I'll be with her. You know it has to happen." He finally tells her, but his eyes dropped as soon as he started speaking. He could not look at her after he decided what to say. When he finally makes eye contact with her, she is shaking her head and tears have sprung to her eyes.

"You don't mean that," she snaps out, looking angry now and she stiffens her stance, staring at him with tears now running down her cheeks. Tom sighs out and finally walks over but she makes no effort to go into his arms, instead, she begins walking farther away and holds out her good arm, making sure he knows to stay at a distance. She doesn't beg for him to stay or change his mind and leave his wife, she just shakes her head. "If this is the choice you make, just know that I will be the loss of your life." With that statement, she walks back into the house, her back to him. This time he doesn't follow her.

She was right, of course. After he made Tom made the decision, he kept his distance, even during the times when the comfort would have helped them both; when Sonny and Papa died. At the funerals, he resisted the urge to go to her and hold her when her when her shoulders began to shake- but he never did. He remembers seeing her look at him out of the corner of the eye,

Two years later she was gone.

She had met some French diplomat they had dealings with in the past and in a whirlwind romance, she ran away to Paris- against her brother's wishes. The stunning young man had dark hard and bright blue eyes, and he remembers seeing him twirling Rosa around the living room and she stared at him like he was the only thing that existed in the world. The day after, the man whisked her away and no one saw her for seven years. Her brother was furious but he did not order a hit as he did on Connie's husband, he assumed the young girl would have come back to her family but she refused unless she could bring her husband. Michael did not allow it for so long, not until he realized he still loved his sister and wanted a relationship with her despite her too because she had told him how she loved the family. So, for Kay's birthday ball, she returned. She could tell Kay was embarrassed from all the attention at the gala type event; with glittering jewels, flowing alcohol and extravagant gowns and suits.

He still remembers how he came to a halt when she entered the room, everyone did, everyone wanted to see the girl who had run away. She was grown now, 25 years old. Her hair was cut short, hanging just above her jawline. She was dressed in red with a diamond pendant pinning back her curls. Her husband looked stiff as Michael made his way to them, but she was eager to run into her brother's arms, smiling broadly. After the introduction, Rosa falls back into her place of socializing with the family and floating around the room as she had before. She glanced at him a few times before finally muttering something to her husband and walking to the balcony, pulling a cigarette out of her clutch. She seems to change her mind at his table and stops, looking at him as she raises the cigarette to her ruby lips. "I want to talk," she says and he nods quickly before standing up and holding an arm out, leading her to one of the offices located off the main hall. She makes her way to one of the leather-clad chair and sits down, glancing up at him as he leans against the desk, looking at her but not saying a word.

The cigarette is dangling from her fingers and the diamonds embellishing her ears and hair glitter in the dim light. The young woman who loved flowers is still there, he can see her, but a tired expression has taken a permanent spot on her face. Her dark eyes look up and down his face before taking another drag from her cigarette. "I heard about your mistress." She murmurs before tapping the cigarette into the ashtray.

He shakes his head and doesn't answer her, instead just takes a sip of his scotch. "Is she like me?" She asks quietly. He bites his lip before slowly shaking his head. "No one is like you. I have tried, tried to look for you in every woman, but I could never find you."

She does not smile, she just takes another drag of her cigarette and blows the smoke into the air. "My love for you never went away, even with the anger. I'll always love you, but it was the decision you made. I would have risked everything for you."

"You would have regretted it, Rosie. You have your entire life ahead of you. You can't waste it on me." He answers as he reaches forward and brushes his fingers over her hand, dancing over the wedding band and diamond bracelet.

She frowns before batting a tear off her cheek. "It was never waste, not for me. I told you I would be the loss of your life, Tom Higgins." She says before rising and walking over to him. He stands up immediately and she wraps her arms around his neck and he wastes no time in grabbing her waist and pulling her close. Her breathing is quick and he can feel it on his neck before she turns and lets her lips ghost over his neck. Then she leans forward and kisses the sensitive skin, and he has a sharp intake of breath. He didn't know how it happened but the next thing he knew was grabbing her face and kissing her so fiercely she nearly falls down. Their kisses are hungry and passionate as if they can't get enough. But then it's over just like that. She is at the door, looking at him, he who is now covered in her red lipstick.

He is out of breath but still looks at her, silently begging her not to leave him. "I love you. I always did… Always will. I love you." he finally admits and she presses her lips together before leaning against the doorframe, shaking her head.

"I love you too. Goodbye, Tom. Take care of yourself," she whispered before rushing out of the door.

And the rest of the night went on as nothing happened. He stayed in the office for most of it, sipping whiskey and thinking about his loss, now dancing the night away with her husband. Expect for one dance. She walked up to him and held her hand out, and he took instantly. They didn't talk the entire time, she just put her face on his shoulder and he held her hand to his chest and held her waist so close to him. Then, in the end, she was gone again.

He never saw her again. He often wondered what would have happened if he did, what would he have said? No one knew she was pregnant that night. The news came out the next month and everyone was eager. Michael wanted her home for the birth and she said she wanted to stay in Paris but would come up after.. but she never did.

She gave birth to a little girl named Carmela, after mama… But she died not days after. They said she hemorrhaged. That's all he remember's hearing before he felt a ringing in his ears and a numbness seep through his body. When he got the news he stopped breathing, thinking, all of it. He fell back into his chair as the messenger went to grab his arm. He doesn't remember that night, only hearing the constant sobs from his family. He stayed in his office and finally, Michael entered, ringing his hands. "She should have been with us." Is all he says, until he finally takes a glass of brandy, his hand shaking.

Before the funeral, he remembers hearing Michael roar at her husband. "It's your fault! You took her away from us." Her husband didn't utter a word, only looked lost as he stared at his brother in law. The baby was in Connie's arms. He doesn't remember approaching the casket until he is there, his hand on the wood, with the rose slipping out of his hands and falling on the floor. "Come back little rose. Come to dance again," he whispers, hoping she would magically appear in the room like she used to do.

They took the baby home after Michael found her husband passed out drunk after the funeral. Tom watched her grow up and be like one of his own kids. She was vibrant and full of life, smiling constantly and laughing loudly. She also loved to garden.

He went to visit her grave, every month until he died. He never forgets Rosa, his little rose, who died too soon and had a smile that shone brighter than any sunrise he had ever seen. Sometimes he would see her, in those moments just before you fall asleep and when the world is hazy and quiet. He could see her as vividly as if she was standing right in front of him. That smile stayed with him, forever.

 _ **This is the end! Thank you SO much to all of you who stuck with this and followed this story to the end, I am so thankful for all of you x**_


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